So you want to dabble in wine. But all that fancy glassware has you nervous. What glass to use with which wine? Why and how do you "decant" wine? Never fear; Dr. Vino is here.

First and foremost, don't sweat it. I have a good friend who drinks her wine from a tumbler. (You know who you are, don't you, Georgina?) When she comes over I put away the fancy glassware and get her a glass in which I usually enjoy Scotch-on-the-rocks. So the important thing is what's in the glass, not what glass it's in.

However many of us enjoy a ritual, and wine-drinking is nothing if not a ritualized activity. Why do you think wine-drinking plays such a central role in church ritual?

So if you're looking to increase the finesse of your wine-service, here are a few hints.

Note that I am NOT advocating buying a fleet of expensive crystal with different glasses for Burgundy, Chardonnay, Bordeaux and Champagne.

Instead, choose a good general purpose glass good for both red and white wine, and stock up. It doesn't have to be expensive. It does have to be fine. Look for glass that's thin and light. Pick it up. It shouldn't feel heavy. Balance is important. Remember the glass will be half-full of liquid. Make sure it won't feel top-heavy, that there's enough weight in the base, and that the bulb is small enough, that it will retain its balance even with wine in it. Place it against your lips. It should feel delicate, not coarse.

Did I say bulb? What is that tulip shape about, anyway? Most wine drinkers I know don't pay enough attention to the most pleasurable aspect of wine-drinking. No, not that rosy-cheeked glow your girlfriend gets after a couple of glasses of Pinot Noir, 'though that's pleasurable too. It's the fabulous aromatics that come from wine. The taste and smell of wine are the most complex of any food in the world, and that bulbous shape of the glass is specifically designed to "focus" that aromatic, so a nose shoved deep into a freshly-swirled glass of wine is rewarded with a rich aroma that sends the wine-writers into a tizzy of adjectives. So make sure your glasses have a generous bulb so your nose can explore the full aromatic splendour of that evening's wine choice.

Volume is important too. Those monstrous glasses are a nightmare on the table, in the dishwasher, and in the cupboard. And these tight, ungenerous "sommelier-style" glasses are for techno-vins and not for pleasure. Look for a glass in the 10 ounce range. You should NEVER fill a glass more than half-full. I prefer one-third. That leaves lots of room for sniffing and swirling. So with three-to-five-ounce-pours, a 10 ounce glass is plenty. And six inches high means there's lots of room in the dishwasher and the cupboard.

Now buy enough. Wine glasses break, especially when I'm on clean-up. This is another reason not to buy really expensive glasses. Nothing is an evening-killer like someone smashing your $40-a-stem crystal. Keep them under $10 each, buy a couple dozen, and make sure you know where to get more of exactly the same glass.

Next, be careful how you wash them. Most dish-washing detergent leaves a soapy residue that kills those freshly-swirled aromatics we were talking about. We wash and polish by hand. You can put your glasses in the dish washer, but make sure they don't smell of soap when you take them out. And take yourself down to the dollar store and buy a couple of those linen glass polishing tea towels. And make sure you use them. Winemakers spend a lot of time and effort polishing their wines so they sparkle in the glass. Make sure the glasses sparkle too: no water spots.

We're almost ready to serve. But wait! What about that decanter? Again don't go spending your children's inheritance on fancy glassware, but a couple of dollar-store decanters are a good investment. As I wrote in my red wine column, decanting red wine ALWAYS elevates the experience.

Decanters allow the reds to "breathe," that is for air to mingle with the fluid, to soften the tannins and bring out the most flavour. And nothing compliments your guest's careful choice if a wine gift than to serve it decanted. Be sure to put the bottle on the table too so the wine geeks can check the alcohol level.

So glasses, decanter, we're almost ready. Do guests need a new glass every time they change wines? Not really if we're talking red and white still table wine. Instead, provide a generous pitcher of ice water for people to rinse their glass, and their palate, between wine courses. Of course bubbly apertifs and dessert digestifs are special cases. It is worth stocking some "flutes" for bubbly, and some five-ounce glasses for dessert wines. With both the bulb is not as important, but make sure they're delicate and balanced.

And what about those stemless wine glasses you see everywhere? Lots of people like them, but I save them for water. After all, what evokes the image of a supper with wine than the ringing of toasting wine glasses held firmly by the stem. You can't get a chime if you hold a glass by the bulb.

Cheers!

Keith

Keith Watt is owner and winemaker at Morning Bay Estate Winery on Pender Island, BC.